Saturday, March 27, 2010

Weekend Downtown with Young Kids?

We are spending a weekend downtown with my 3 and 5 year olds...we def. plan on going to the children%26#39;s museum on Sunday, but will be spending Saturday at the hotel (Marriott downtown) and want to explore downtown without having to drive. What are some good things to do, resturants, places to go, etc. with children this age?



Weekend Downtown with Young Kids?


Faithful: Well, going to the Children%26#39;s Museum is the first best thing to do. That will be a full day. I don%26#39;t usually recommend the zoo because I think they charge too much, but it%26#39;s probably a great option for kids that age. Those are the two main attractions that come to my mind that are geared toward kids that young. The state museum might be lost on young children although there are a few cool things there for little kids. They might like just looking at the big monumnet on the circle and may even enjoy the museum in the basement of the Indiana war memorial (it%26#39;s free). The Old Spaghetti Factory has a street car thing in it that kids like. Here%26#39;s a site to browse around.





http://www.indydt.com/home.cfm



Weekend Downtown with Young Kids?


I love these posts...I live downtown and have a 2yr old, so I%26#39;m happy to share my suggestions! HonkHonk has given some great suggestions as well! You%26#39;ll definitely need a full day at the Children%26#39;s Museum. I suggest getting there when they open on Sunday. Definitely fewer people, and go to the displays you want to see the most first. The crowds really hit around noon.





There is plenty to do with younger children on Saturday, too. If you don%26#39;t want to spend the money at the Zoo, then I suggest just walking over to the canal. It is very close to the Marriott. You can rent a surry bike (the vendor is on the west side of the Indiana State Museum) and bike to the end of the canal (it goes about a mile north...but a very easy walk or ride.) Walking is not bad either. There is enough to distract younger children...small park-like areas, ducks swimming in the water. Check out the White River State Park website: http://www.in.gov/whiteriver/about/green.html





We walk along the canal regularly. My son loves running along the water and feeding the ducks. We also enjoy going to the restaurant at the north end of the canal - Creation Cafe - on a nice day. They have outdoor dining, which is perfect with a child that doesn%26#39;t want to sit and wait. We let him play by the water while the food is coming. VERY casual and great child%26#39;s (and adult) menu.





Another good eating option on the canal is Sky City Cafe in the Eiteljorg Museum. You do not need to pay admission to eat at the restaurant. There%26#39;s outdoor seating overlooking the canal, and another fantastic child%26#39;s menu.





I suggest just taking it easy on Saturday and enjoy a leisurely day. Enjoy the White River State Park and Monument Circle (as HonkHonk suggested). You can get ice cream (or chocolates) at South Bend Chocolate Company right on the Circle. And with kids that age, Old Spaghetti Factory is an excellent choice for dinner. They are geared towards children. But get there early...after 6pm there%26#39;s a wait, especially on weekends.





Have fun!




How did your trip go? We are leaving this Friday from Chi-town, and driving right down to Pigeon Forge for two nights at a beautiful resort, then moving on to my sister-in-laws in North Carolina for a few nights...I am totally lost on my way home, we are thinking Indy, but we really like to go out to dinner and have a couple drinks maybe but we have the kids (who are 1 and 3) so we want to stay in an area that is really nice, safe and walking distance to cute shops and good food and drinks!! We can splurge a little on the hotel if necessary.





The other options were Nashville, Louisville or just going back to Pigeon Forge for a couple of nights if we like it.





Any advice is appreciated!! Thank you so much, hope you had a great time!


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